Disneyland Photo Report – July 14, 2014

The scaffolding, tarps, and most of the construction walls around New Orleans Square and the Club 33 expansion have been removed. So how do the additions blend in with the highly themed New Orleans Square environment and what about the Court of Angels? We’ll discuss it and let the photos tell the story with this question.

Also, The ‘Legends of Frontierland’ role playing game has kicked off and is being meet with mixed reviews. The temporary First Aid location inside Disneyland has opened as construction gets underway on the backstage express alley behind Main Street U.S.A. We take a look Around the Resort and in Downtown Disney.

What a difference full Annual Passholder blockouts can make. These photos of Buena Vista Street were taken in the afternoon on Saturday.

First Aid and Express Alley Exit Construction

Disneyland’s First Aid has made the move to the locker location on Center Street. The move comes as the new backstage express alleyway is being constructed to aid in the exit of guests during the most crowded days of the year, typically during the Holiday season.

A nice small sign has been placed on the lamp post near the Market House.

The permanent First Aid location is being remodeled and room is being made for the backstage express alley on the north side of Main Street U.S.A.

Construction walls have gone up on the south side of Main Street U.S.A. across from the Mad Hatter. This will serve as the exit for the backstage express alley.

New Orleans Square and Club 33 Expansion

Most of the construction walls, scaffolding and tarps have come down around New Orleans Square. The construction is for the expansion of Club 33, the private club located on much of the second floor of the highly themed New Orleans environment. Club 33 has always been the private club that was Disneyland worst, “best kept secret”. Sort of a speak easy, the entry point was a small green door only marked with a “33” sign and a hidden door bell. The windows were private, hidden behind wrought iron balconies, furnishings and plants. The average Disneyland guest could enjoy New Orleans Square without realizing there was something going on above the street level.

The expansion comes with the seizure of the Court of Angels and the addition of a new bridge, massive windows and less theming … a lot less theming.

New Orleans Square is one of the best themed environments inside Disneyland. It was also one of the last personally overseen and opened by Walt Disney himself. The detail is unmatched inside Disneyland.

One would hardly know that there is a private club located on the second floor of this building. This is not the case over the newer additions.

Above the Pirates of the Caribbean exit on Royal Street

A new walkway and a faux railing have been added above the exit for the Pirates of the Caribbean.

Some of the work does not appear to be finished as evidenced by the hacked off wrought iron seen above the Blue Bayou Restaurant.

Royal Street

As of Saturday construction walls still blocked the innermost streets in New Orleans Square.

Orleans Street

Some of the most dramatic changes are seen on Orleans Street over Mille. Antoinette’s Parfumerie. A new bridge has been built which will connect a dining area to the new night club over the French Market. The bridge is scarcely themed and stands out against the immersive environment it is located in.

Again here the wrought iron has been severed, hopefully indicating that the project isn’t yet completed. However, the lack of detail here is still stark and not what New Orleans Square is about.

The thematic details literally come to an end where the new additions begin.

The Court of Angels will no longer be accessible to regular day guests. Now an opaque stained-glass gate blocks view and access to what will now be the front lobby and waiting area for Club 33.

The stained-glass appears to function as a gate which could be opened for one of the many private parties Club 33 members enjoy after park closing.

A few significant changes can be seen above ground level inside the Court of Angels.

The large, blue mass is the side of the new elevator shaft which replaces the beautiful French Lift of the former lobby.

New lighting has been added to the curved, grand staircase

Stucco has replaced the wooden banisters across the top balcony.

Where there was once a wall is now a second balcony and restrooms.

Club 33 Windows

New, very open windows have been added to Club 33. The previous windows, which can be seen on either side of the new large window below, were much more subtle. It is now possible to see directly into Club 33. Hopefully these will be covered with some curtains and external shutters to help lessen thier obtrusive nature. I can’t imagine how these will look at night with a club full of members.

One of the largest windows over Café Orleans is horribly off-center.

It’s very easy to see people inside Club 33 now, and it will be highly distracting at night.

The inner streets feature oversized, modern windows, none of which reflect the 1850’s “gay paree of New Orleans Square” as Walt Disney himself called it.

Some newly added details? …

Not sure if these are speakers, but I am told they are new.

Front Street

Listen to Walt Disney introduce us to New Orleans Square in the video below. He makes note of the architecture, the winding streets, the intimate courtyards, and the iron laced balconies.

I don’t know this family seen below, I captured this photo last year, only one day before the Court of Angels closed to guests. This area served as a favorite photo location for so many families and it seriously breaks my heart to even look at this again. However, the story it tells is an important one. This photo also represents the impact that Disneyland management’s decisions can have on the guest experience.

It is unclear what will become of the previous, and famous entrance to Club 33. Hopefully it remains untouched.

I am not a Club 33 member therefore I don’t have much say with the changes to club itself. Although the interior changes have been significant and a lot of history touched personally by Walt has been altered or eliminated. The changes seen on the park level, however are currently quite significant, much worse than I feared. I truly hope that what we are seeing is the result of an unfinished product. It does appear that way in some areas, especially with the wrought iron. The changes to the Court of Angels and the massive windows however, do appear to be the finished product. We’ll keep a watchful eye on this issue.

Legends of Frontierland

Disneyland’s new ‘Legends of Frontierland’ role playing game started this past week. The game consists of guests taking on roles, picking sides and completing tasks. There are several stations set up throughout Frontierland and some entertainment inside the Golden Horseshoe.

The Trading Post

The Telegraph Office

Sheriff’s Office and Jail

The Hideout

Golden Horseshoe

“Lucky” Jim McClintock sings and entertains. He calls the mayors of Frontierland and Rainbow Ridge on stage for “river water” duel. The “river water” is an unsweetened citrus juice, the first to flinch looses.

Downtown Disney

World Cup Soccer contines, and Downtown Disney has set up a large jumbo LED screen for guests to watch games.

Also Coke has set up booths where guests can have names printed on cans for their “Share a Coke” campaign.

Around the Resort

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